I was a boy in the 1970's and can remember a commercial which portrayed a native American overlooking the refuse of a consuming nation scattered over the once beautiful landscape. It was well conceived and striking to me because of the single tear which ran down the weathered cheek of a strong man obviously (at least as portrayed) saddened by the lack of stewardship which would cover green grass, and clean water with garbage. The actors name was Iron-Eyes Cody and once-upon-a-time my 20 something year old dad met him while wandering the West in his youth - a story for another time."And God blessed them:and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
I am not an environmentalist in the modern quasi-political sense, but I do consider myself a steward of all that God has blessed me with. I am the first to admit that my stewardship is inconsistent and easily overcome by my own wants..but it is a frequently reoccurring thought particularly as I age and look around at the world my children will inherit.
God appears to have created all of the wonders of the earth, indeed the universe, as a gift for mankind. It was all good and the stewardship given to man was also good and perfect. Yet all relationships, however unconnected we may think they are, were and are bound up in the relationship between created man and Creator God. It seems apparent to me that our stewardship of things below us was broken along with the relationship with He who is above us.
The tears of a saddened Indian are as fitting a tribute to paradise lost as I can think of.
As knowledge of God and His love diminish it should be no surprise that His gifts would be valued less.
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